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All That Glitters Is Not Golden

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has some hardened steel balls. The man stands before a cheering crowd and invites anyone to tape his conversations because they are so lawful. He’s then caught on tape complaining that somebody expected him to give away the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama without getting anything in return. It’s fucking golden and you can kiss his ass if you think you’re going to get in there without making it worth his while to put you there.

Caught red handed Mr. Blagojevich says that he’s innocent of any wrong doing. Instructed by members of the Democratic Party not to assign anyone to the Senate seat because for all technical purposes nobody he selects will be fully trusted, Mr. Blagojevich settles for former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the position. The word is settled because the first Senate picks were smart enough not to get caught up in this messy affair. Not Mr. Burris!

Mr. Burris, confident that he has the legal authority to take his seat as the junior Senator from Illinois, is more than happy to jump at the chance to become Mr. Blagojevich’s political bitch. Mr. Blagojevich can simply sit back and watch the spectacle of this political drama unfurl from his Governor seat. Now, long before Mr. Burris was selected it was made public that no one Mr. Blagojevich would select would be acceptable. However, Mr. Burris, who became the first black political something or other in the great state of Illinois, thought it clever to play the race card and scream that the only reason he is being denied his rightful place in the Senate that happens to be zero percent African American at this time is the fact that he is black.

The stench from this farce gets even thicker.

Now, Representative Bobby Rush wants to throw his two cents into this cock fight. Mr. Rush, who originally opposed Mr. Obama’s effort to become the junior Senator from Illinois and instead supported Mr. Obama’s white opposition, now says that the seat must be held by someone of African decent. Essentially, it is nothing more than blatant racism on the level of Alabama Governor George Wallace keeping black students from attending Alabama University that keeps the black Mr. Burris from entering the all white United States Senate.

I have to confess that my knowledge of Mr. Rush’s history with the black community is a bit lacking. However, if this racist rant is any indication of Mr. Rush’s thought patterns then it should be obvious that this man has become the very last thing the black community needs. Would it be fair to Mr. Rush if white people were to stand up and say that the other ninety nine Senate seats belong to white people? The fact that Mr. Obama and Mr. Burris share skin color is not a qualifying attribute for his appointment to the Senate and does not deserve a single moment of consideration from anyone.

You would think black people learned our lesson about getting any black person to replace a black politician or political appointment. For example, Thurgood Marshall, the first black appointee to the Supreme Court was replaced with Clarence Thomas, the second black appointee to the high court. Yes Mr. Thomas might have been a black man. But to think this somehow automatically made Mr. Thomas a more appealing justice to black people is simply ludicrous. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here again, I’ll be happy to take Ruth Ginsburg, the little white Jewish lady on the Supreme Court, any day before I’d take uncle tom Mr. Clarence to hear my case. Being black doesn’t mean one should enter a quid pro quo with the black community. It’s this very kind of thinking that got Mr. Blagojevich in trouble in the first place.

It is a travesty of everything the black community has worked for to see these two black relics from days of yore play their race card so hard. They are allowing themselves to be played to do the bidding of a blatantly corrupt Governor. Mr. Burris and Mr. Rush are too caught up in the moment of getting that fucking golden something to know that all that glitters is not gold. And even if it was golden, everything golden isn’t always worth having. King Midas learned that lesson the hard way.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Mr. Blagojevich is about as far from King Midas as one can get. His touch didn’t bring value to the Senate seat. The Senate seat is not something golden that should be coveted. If anything it is a stinking, ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. It is tainted. It is contaminated with an infection of political corruption that needs to be sterilized with nothing less than political fire. The first people Mr. Blagojevich asked to accept a seat at the center of this controversy knew better than to blemish their reputation with such political poison.

But in typical human fashion there is always somebody around who is more than happy to snatch whatever glitters in their eye. In a perfect impersonation of the poor Smeagle / Gollum of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings fame, some people are simply blinded by that which shines believing it will complete them. I can imagine Mr. Burris at his home muttering to himself calling for his precious, ready to chase his golden ring off a cliff into bubbling lava.

The taint is simply too strong in this one. The simple fact that Mr. Burris doesn’t have the good sense to avoid the association with the Illinois Governor is proof that he is unqualified to become a member of the Senate. Mr. Burris would sell his soul to Beelzebub, or Blagojevich, if it would result in his appointment. A for sale sign could be placed around his neck without fear of exaggeration. That’s not what the people of Illinois need at this time. It seems the Governor is intent on making sure the people of Illinois rue the day they ever heard the name Blagojevich and Mr. Burris is just too happy to help.

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Strong post! I couldn’t say it any better myself! I was up here in Canada thinking… as I see the growing calls from the Black community to seat Burris: don’t the Black people in America see that they are being played by Blagojevich and Rush and Burris are just self-centered stooges!?

Why should Mr. Burris have to avoid association with Blago?? Obama didn’t have any problem associating with Mr. “Weather Underground” Ayers, Rev. “God Damn America” Wright and convicted felon Rezko…among others. OH…when anyone had the nerve to ask about these questionable associations…they were deemed being ethically challenged for even thinking of guilt by association. Now that I think if it…I have seen several videos with Obama praising Blago.

Please don’t talk about “for sale signs”. Some newspapers have posted the story that the White House was purchased by Obama and company for only $630 million! BUT…that’s only part of the story. For some really interesting (and funny and sad) viewing…please look at “How Obama Got Elected”

YouTube – How Obama Got Elected… Interviews With Obama Voters

I couldn’t understand how it happened until I watched the video. ENJOY…and then weep!

I would hardly equate Mr. Obama’s association with Roy Ayers or Reverend Wright or even Mr. Rezko to Mr. Burris’ association with Mr. Blagojevich. None of these people are sitting governors accused of corruption and under investigation for trying to sell a senate seat. Just a small detail of difference. And the suggestion that a video of Mr. Obama and Mr. Blagojevich together from six years ago proves some kind of lack of ethics is priceless. Thanks for the laughs.

Yea, I have not been quite sure how to make sense out of all this. Nonetheless, there are a few aspects that are bothering me:

1. Harry Reid’s possible rejection of three viable black politicans in a conversation with Blago.

2. The fact that when people like Bobby Rush use the race card in such a deceptive and obvious manner, it gives ammunition to those who view the issue of race as blacks using race for their own advantage when there isn’t any. This further marginalizes any push for change in this arena in regards to actual and real issues having to do with racial double standards and injustice etc…It is unfortunate that such people get public space to behave as if they represent our community when they do not.

Lastly, while I agree with your stance about black faces in high places, the lack of diversity in the senate is telling. My question is, why is it okay for (white) women’s organizations to push for Hillary Clinton’s seat in my state of NY to go to a (white) women but not okay for blacks? Latino orgainizations put pressure on Obama to appoint a latino some where in his administration etc… As I said, while I have never been a fan of the any black face in a high place, I do wonder why it is not okay for the black community to do what every other community does?

The lack of racial diversity everywhere is telling. But when we start saying that black people deserve a political office because we are black what’s the difference from white people saying that other white people deserve political offices because they are white? I know Latinos and other minorities push for more representation in certain environments. I don’t have a problem with that. It would be a wonderful thing to see more racial diversity in the senate. But to say black people deserve the senate seat because it was vacated by a black man is small minded and shortsighted. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be played so hard by a corrupt governor.

Why are you excusing white women for example, for pushing to keep Clinton’s seat (white) female, isn’t that also shortsighted and small minded? AA’s have not really been as upfront in Illinois as white women out here in New York to keep Clinton’s seat female at all costs. Now we may get Caroline Kennedy who I like but know little to anything about when it comes to her political positions.

I understand what you are saying but that logic needs to be extended to other communities who are far more aggressive in doing the same thing but get little attention because their power is not threatening. I am not necessarily saying this is respect to this situation with Blago and Burris but I am saying it in general.

Harry Reid made me a little uneasy when I found out about the first point that I made in my original comment. I am with you when it comes to Blago and Burris but what about what Harry Reid said to Blagoveich in regards to the three black candidates on the list?

No offense intended but I must respectfully disagree. I have not excused anyone. I think it’s repugnant to see women, white as well as black or any other ethnicity or race, vote for Hilary Clinton simply because she was born with a pair of ovaries. Black women are just as culpable. We all saw Ann Price Mills boohoo like a baby when Mr. Obama won the Democratic primaries. It was disgusting. And instead of building sympathy or empathy or support for a cause, it has the opposite affect of building opposition. I simply feel that the last thing I would like to see is black people stooping to such insular tactics.